Fire Arising
by pokemoneeveeforever
Summary: Ivypaw always wanted to be like her sister, Mosspaw. Will she ever get her wish? Rated T because I am paranoid.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Ivykit sat with her sister Mosskit staring in amazement at the warriors that had just come back from the battle. Some of the cats carried two limp bodies back. The leader, Foxstar, announced that they were dead. I think he said their names were Toadleap and Birdwind. Our mother, Silverpool, is the deputy. We would be apprenticed soon, any day now! I can't wait to become an apprentice. Mosskit's black and white tail flicked back and forth. We had about the same color pattern except Mosskit was more black than white and I was more white than black. Tree older warriors were seated at the medicine den waiting to be treated on; all of them had horrible scratches on them, one of them named Rabbitfoot at a sore under his eye that was puffed up. The two others were called Yellowstripe and Duskleaf. Rabbitfoot met my eyes and I shivered at all of the scars that he would have for the rest of his life. He turned his head away quickly when he saw how my face looked. The two elders came out of their den Mousepelt and Deepwave, and sat down with the three cats waiting to be healed by the medicine cat. Her name was Brackensnow; she was the prettiest she-cat in the whole clan.

"Ivykit, Mosskit," I jumped when I heard my mother call us. "Those cats over at the medicine den," she pointed to the five cats clustered together. "Yellowstripe, Duskleaf, and Rabbitfoot have decided that they are moving into the elder's den with Mousepelt and Deepwave."

"Oh, no; I'm sorry to hear that they're retiring," Mosskit meowed with respect. "I'll go give my gratitude to them "

"Wait just a second young lady," my mother mowed with a twinkle in her eye. Come on! What did we do this time! I thought sternly. "Since we have lost five of our warriors, we will need more to train." My heart skipped a beat and Mosskit beamed at me. That means that we'll be apprentices now!

I looked over at the five cats. They were looking at us, but not with envy. "Mom, can we go talk to the elders?" I asked her.

"Yes, but let me groom you while you talk to them. Mosskit, you look okay to me, did you groom this morning?" now she was the one asking the questions.

"Yes, I did." She looked at me with a playful smirk. "Ivykit was too busy bugging the warriors before they went to go battle." My pelt burned as Silverpool looked at me.

"Sorry, mom" I mewed quickly and tilted my head. She softened her gaze as she heard the urge in my voice.

"Don't worry; you'll still be apprenticed today." She shared a glance with Foxstar who wasn't much older than she was which was fairly young. "Let's go talk to the elders now."

"Okay." Mosskit walked beside me. I wasn't looking at the ground and my feet dipped into cold water. I let out a little shriek and Mosskit laughed at me, her feet only got a little wet.

"You've got quite a handful, Silverpool." A white she-cat with a silky tail walked by with a light brown tom with claw marks on his back, I knew him, his name was easy to remember, and he was Clawpelt.

"It's worth it," she replied. "Don't you agree, Milkytail?" she looked at her with admiring eyes. "You're my best friend, you know. I don't know what I would have done without your advice."

"Oh, Silverpool I'm just joking you, silly." She nudged her. "My kit has the best father possible." She looked at Clawpelt.

Silverpool flinched at her friends words and her eyes widened. Milkytail and Clawpelt saw their friend's shock and turned to us.

"You two are absolutely beautiful," Clawpelt changed the subject. "Just as beautiful as you mother." Silverpool shook her head and smiled at him for his kind words. Foxstar who was passing took a step back and turned around. What had disturbed them?

"I am so happy for you," Soulfire, Milkytail's brother padded up with the new elders. "Foxstar isn't going to announce the elder ceremony, everyone knows anyway.

"My sister and I give our thanks for your service to the clan." Rabbitfoot purred with amusement and nudged Duskleaf who was looking at his paws. Yellowstripe whispered something in his ear that made his ears perk up.

"I suggested that you two take our place in training," Rabbitfoot explained. "You seem eager enough." Mosskit, she was always the one to react first, and the most positive and friendly. I wish I could be as cheerful as my sister; she was always the one who stole everyone's heart while I just sat down and watched. One day I told Silverpool how I felt she said that I'm more of an observer. I do agree with her, I seem to see what's going on with the clan more than Mosskit.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Snowrock for a clan meeting." Foxstar had jumped up on the large white rock that loomed over all of our heads and glistened in the dying sunlight.

"Oh, goodness," Silverpool exclaimed. "Can't he wait until I've at least cleaned Ivykit once?"

"Come on, Silverpool let them be." Clawpelt chuckled. "You remember how it was to get washed all the time. You hated it. I haven't lost my memory yet, I'm so old "

"You are not old." Milkytail snapped at him. "You're as young as the blossoms budding on the trees, and you'll always seem young to me, dear." I can't believe I forgot that they were mates!

Brakensnow came out of the medicine den with Featherpaw the only apprentice in the clan. Well, she won't be for long. The medicine cat looked very irritated for some reason. She was flicking her tail impatiently, but she said nothing. Then I realized that Featherpaw looked just as irritated as Brackensnow.

Nettlewhisker, who was lying next to his dead sister, Birdwind, lifted his head to see what Foxstar wanted. Toadleap was Birdwind's mate; of course Nettlewhisker was grieving for him, too.

"I think we have two kits that are overdue for their apprenticeship." He looked down on, us his red and black coat that looked just like the animal he was named after was shining like fire. "Mosskit and Ivykit, your new names until you earn your warrior names will be Mosspaw and Ivypaw. StarClan bless you," now he looked at Brackensnow. "Will we be going to the Gathering after what they have done to us?"

Brackensnow looked at her paws in anger. "I don't like the idea of it, but we must believe in our warrior ancestors to protect us, there is still the truce no matter how bad things get. I think we should take the whole clan, it will make us look larger."

He looked at the nursery in stress. "Should we take Sweetbreeze and her kit?" Of course Foxstar would be worried about his mate and son, Darkkit.

"Yes," Brackensnow looked up at him. "She will be safe with all of us around her, and I think if anything were to happen that LockClan would surely help us, after all we were the ones that helped them when they got in trouble with DreadClan."

Foxstar made his way down the Snowrock and everyone gathered around him. Featherpaw ran off to the nursery and got Sweetbreeze who had a small black kit following her. He nodded his head to Silverpool and Brackensnow and they took their place beside of him and we set off for the Gathering. Mosspaw walked on my left side all the way there. I didn't look at the forest around me for once, but she seemed keen to get a much as the scenery as she could. The five elders stood behind the leader, deputy, and medicine cat. The four warriors walked in front of us. I assume that Sweetbreeze is in between the elders and warriors with her kit and Featherpaw. Nettlewhisker had his head down the whole time you could hear him crying. Soulfire stood close to his grieving friend.

Suddenly, the dark forest thinned out into a clearing with a massive white rock that was four times as big as the one at home in camp. I gasped in amazement at the beauty of it.

"Don't you think it's pretty?" I asked Mosspaw. "I've never seen anything like it, the elders described it perfectly." She just stopped and looked at the clearing that was filled with all of the clans.

"I want to make a friend in another clan." She announced. "Don't you think that would be neat? We are probably the youngest apprentices to come to one of the Gatherings!"

Nettlewhisker turned his head around to stare at her. "It won't be as cool as you think it'll be." Milkytail shoved him lightly.

"Don't ruin their spirits, Nettlewhisker."

He glared at her and walked on ahead of the warriors. Mosspaw raced up and took place where he was in the line and started jabbering her head off to Soulfire and Milkytail leaving me alone.

There was a shallow stream circling the clearing where the clans waited. The rocks that were smoothed down felt wonderful along with the stream that only touched the very bottoms of your paws. When we got out of the stream, the cats on one side of the clearing were hissing and spitting with fury. The other clans next to us were calm. A light ginger she-cat that stood under the rock with two other cats raced up and whispered something into Foxstar's ear. He dipped his head to her and the clan that was calm made a path for us to go through and they took the place where we were supposed to sit. Silverpool sat beside the she-cat and waited for Foxstar to get up the rock.

Soulfire leaned back and whispered something to me. "Ivypaw, don't sit alone, you can never tell what will happen at a Gathering nowadays. We don't want you to get lost like Rowanpaw did."

I walked up and sat beside Soulfire reluctantly. "What happened to this cat you call Rowanpaw." I asked quietly. "I don't remember him."

"Well," he sighed. "I suppose that you wouldn't know, he was Featherpaw's brother," he looked at the dark gray she cat who sat next to Sweetbreeze. "He was at the Gathering, only a little older than you. And DreadClan took him when he strayed from us. Featherpaw never likes to talk about it, that's why we never told you. I have a friend in DreadClan, though, and she says that Rowanpaw is trying to find the right chance to get away." Then he let out another long sigh. "She hates being in DreadClan, her name is Rainfrost."

"Can we go see her?" I asked. "That's what Gatherings are for, right?" he looked at me awkwardly as if it were a tough decision.

"We can try," he paused "but if I cause trouble with DreadClan we'll both be in the elders den killing their ticks for a moon!" He was half joking half warning me.

A yowl sounded from on top of the giant white rock and a smoky black tom sat up. "What is the name of the rock they are sitting on? And who are the cats on top of it?" I asked him quietly.

"The rock is called TheCrystalSone, and the smoky black tom you see up there standing is Fallenstar of DreadClan, the white she-cat on his left is Silkstar of MarshClan, the bright ginger she-cat on Fallenstar's right is Settingstar of LockClan, they live near the lake in their territory, and you know Foxstar and you know that we live in ValleyClan, too." He pointed out to me every cat. "Now the Gathering has begun, we must be quiet now "

"Yes, I wish you would be quiet!" A senior warrior from SettingClan snapped at him. "I would think better of you, Soulfire." He scolded the young warrior. "Is that your apprentice?" he asked sternly.

"Well," Soulfire began. "They aren't anyone's apprentices really. Foxstar didn't have time to make the decision. We had a battle with DreadClan. Two of our cats died and three decided to move into the elders den, they couldn't take any more of the cruelty that the wretched clan can put on you."

"Oh, I understand." He nodded his head. "Please excuse my rudeness; you must have had a rough day."

"I accept your apology, Hollowfeather, and yes; it was a pretty rough day for us all." Soulfire addressed Hollowfeather. I hope my mentor will be Soulfire; he's really cool and knows a bunch! I bet he likes me, too. Ivypaw thought happily.

"Are you eager to learn?" Hollowfeather asked me. "You seem like one that likes to observe," he looked up at Silverpool up under the Crystal Stone with the other deputies. "Just like your mother. Foxstar made a wise decision in choosing her to be his deputy, she is very reliable, and a good friend."

"We have a problem!" Fallenstar was shouting on the rock at the other clans. "You know how much of a pest that ValleyClan is! They make me sick how weak they are "

"Have you ever thought of what we think about you, Fallenstar, or are you too stupid to even see that straight?" Foxstar got up in his stuck up face. "No one thinks you are so great and brave anymore. Why did you attack us? We didn't do a single thing to make you think we wanted a fight. Don't you think that StarClan might not approve of your treachery?"

Hollowfeather looked at Soulfire questioningly. "What?" he whispered barely.

Soulfire leaned over my back to reply into Hollowfeather's ear. "We think that he is doing this all because of what we said about Rowanpaw last Gathering. Poor Featherpaw was so heartbroken we had to mention something. We thought that maybe not everyone in DreadClan was brainwashed by Fallenstar's words, but we were wrong. I'm sure that there are a few that aren't brainwashed, they were just scared to do anything, and I can't blame them."

"Why have you brought Sweetbreeze and her kit? What is the kit's name ?" Hollowfeather was cut off by a yowl from Settingstar.

"Enough of this, I will each of your stories when the Gathering is over! Don't you agree this argument needs to be settled quietly, Silkstar?" She turned to her best friend for her support.

"I agree." Silkstar meowed curtly, her silver white pelt gleaming in the full moon light. "May I tell the news of my clan?" Settingstar dipped her head and Foxstar sat back down where he was supposed to sit. Then Silkstar began with her news. "MarshClan has three new apprentices: Jadepaw, Redpaw, and Weaselpaw. I would like for you to give thanks to their mentors Thrushflight, Brablewing, and Mudfoot who has taken Weaselpaw as her medicine-cat apprentice." Cheers bursted out from all of the clans. I'll have to remember that most everyone favors LockClan and the leader.

When the cheers died down Settingstar stood to give news about her clan. "We also have a new apprentice in LockClan: Owlpaw and we have two new warriors: Poolfur and Frostpelt." The rest of the clans cheered for LockClan's newest name ceremonies, but not as enthusiastically as they did with MarshClan. I wonder if Hollowfeaher is in LockClan. I think he is. I'm not sure about it though. I'll ask him.

"Hollowfeather," I looked up at the big gray warrior. "Are you in LockClan?" I asked curiously.

He looked down at me softly. "Yes, I am. I was right; you do catch on to stuff easily. The deputy is Brightwind; she is the one who whispered into Foxstar's ear when you first came into the Gathering. She is also Settingstar's sister."

"It's nice to know someone in the other clans that you can trust." I gleamed at him with big, blue eyes. "I like you."

"Well, I like you, too." He chuckled softly and flicked his tail over my ear. "I think that Foxstar is going to announce that you and your sister Oh, how did I forget her name already? Is it Mosspaw?"

"Yup, that's her name all right." Soulfire butted in. "Now I think we should leave Hollowfeather alone." He meowed to me. "Let's see what Foxstar says about you and Mosspaw."

Foxstar stood up. He gave a brief glaze at Fallenstar and then he began. "Our deputy, Silverpool's daughters are now apprentices their names are Mosspaw and Ivypaw. Please excuse me for doing a ceremony here, but we had no time for one before we left our camp thanks to Fallenstar over here. Mosspaw and Ivypaw did not get to know who their mentors will be." He took a pause before speaking again as he scanned his clan. "I think that the wise choice for Mosspaw's mentor would be Nettlewhisker!" the dark brown tabby head of Nettlewhisker lifted when he heard his voice being called by all of the clans. "And I think the cat most capable of training Ivypaw is " Oh please be Soulfire, pleae let it be Soulfire! I was screaming in my head. "Soulfire, you are to mentor Ivypaw." I let out a sigh of relief and Soulfire bent down and licked my head gently as they called out our names. He wasn't as rough as Silverpool was when she licked my head. I pressed my body close up against his warm fur against the cool night air.

"Congratulations, Soulfire." Hollowfeather meowed to us. "Your dream to become a mentor has finally come true; you are brave and loyal even though you may not be very much older than an apprentice yourself. And what was Foxstar's kit called? I was asking you that before we got cut off."

"Oh," Soulfire realized that he had forgotten to tell Hollowfeather about the kit. "Um, yeah, hum " Soulfire scratched his ear nervously. "Well," he looked down at me and whispered. "Don't mention this to anyone! Do you understand me? If you do we'll be in a lot of trouble, and I mean a lot of trouble." I nodded my head yes and he continued on to tell Hollowfeather. "Now don't get me wrong when you hear this, I love Foxstar and Sweetbreeze, but there is something about his son that worries me, you remember his name used to be Littlekit but for some reason they renamed him Darkkit just out of the blue! He is a nice little kit and all, but you just have to wonder why they did that " his voice trailed off as he looked forward at where Sweetbreeze and the leader's son were to find Darkkit turning his head to look back at us. I waved my tail and smiled but Darkkit looked back with a sad expression on his little black face.

Around us all of the cats were breaking up into conversation. A dark ginger tom that was standing under the CrystalRock was trotting up to greet us. He smiled at Hollowfeather and turned to Soulfire. "I hear that you've finally accomplished the dream of becoming a mentor. I am very sorry to hear about the warriors that died and the ones that retired, I know that Silkstar admired them all greatly, Silverpool told me." Then he looked down at me. "And you must be Ivypaw! It' nice to meet you! My name is Amberclaw."

"Hello," I greeted him. "It's nice to meet you too. I am glad to be an apprentice at last; I can't wait to serve me clan."

Amberclaw looked at Hollowfeather and then looked at Soulfire. "Oh, about the clan; I would like to talk to you alone, Soulfire. LockClan has been having worries that we would like to share."

Soulfire looked down at me and scanned the clearing. "Why don't you go meet some apprentices, Ivypaw? They are over there talking with your sister under the apple tree." I looked over my shoulder and saw my sister's black and white pelt clustered around with other apprentices.

"Okay, Soulfire." I shighed to him and walked off to meet them. Most of them were larger than me, but there were three other cats our size. They must be the new apprentices that Silkstar announced. I thought encouraged by the sight of cats of my own age group. Mosspaw was chatting with a ginger tom our age, he must be Reddpaw. I guessed.

"Oh, hey Ivypaw I was beginning think you didn't want to talk to your sister!" Mosspaw exclaimed when she saw me trotting up with my head hung. "You don't look to happy?"

"What's there to be happy about?" I shot at her. I don't like to talk in front of cats I don't know like this! And Mosspaw knows it, too! "I don't know anyone!"

"Sorry, Redpaw." She apologized to the ginger tom. "Ivypaw isn't in a very good mood at the time, she usually isn't like this, the grumpy old badger." She teased me, but I didn't appreciate it.

A bark brown she-cat turned her head around to see me. He face looked quite friendly when she noticed my nervousness. Then she turned her whole body towards us. "Hi, I'm Jadepaw."

"Uh, yeah, I'm, uh, Ivypaw." My voice quivered when I spoke. "I'm not as happy as Mosspaw, so don't expect me to be nice." I looked at the brother and sister threateningly.

Mosspaw shoved me hard. "That wasn't nice at all!"

"Well, not everyone can be as loveable and adorable as you, so get over it!" I shouted at her meanly.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's the fuss?" my mother shot at us as she walked past the apple tree with the deputy from MarshClan and DreadClan.

Mosspaw stood up straight and tall, but I was furious with her, so I slumped even more in defiance. Then Mosspaw looked up at Silverpool and addressed her respectfully. "Ivypaw is being very rude to Jadepaw and Redpaw. She is also trying to insult me just because she can't be nice." My claws were itching to rake her ear with rage, but I deiced that I couldn't ever win against Mosspaw, everyone loved her, why would they think that she ever did anything wrong, they always accused me before they even thought it was her that did anything, and why would they ever trust me? I hardly speak to anyone. I'm just the bad apple that no one likes, not even mother can see that Mosspaw isn't really as good as she appears to be. The only ones who didn't spoil her were Foxstar and Soulfire. I can't say that I do want to be spoiled anyway.

"Oh, really, was she?" She looked at Redpaw and Jadepaw. Why do I have to be born so stupid? I must look like an idiot; I must make a bad impression on my clan, and my mom. My shoulders hung even lower to where it hurt, but I didn't care.

Jadepaw shuffled her paws and looked up at Silverpool with pale green eyes. On the other hand her brother looked like he wasn't afraid to hesitated, that he was only doing this because his sister was doing it. "Well," Jadepaw began. "It made me feel bad."

"Ivypaw," my mother looked down on me harshly. "What did you say to them both?"

I didn't look at her face, I didn't want to. It wouldn't help my situation any to see how angry my mother was. "Well, I basically told them that I'm not a nice person and don't want to be their friend. There isn't anything wrong with stating what I think my opinion is. They need to get over it. I did nothing wrong. Mosspaw just wants to get me in trouble again."

Mosspaw snapped her head around to glare at me. "I'm doing this for your own good "

"Oh, don't start that load of fox-dung on me! You know I don't care about what you say or Silverpool!" I got up in her face. I knew that what I did would make my mother only hate me more, but I don't love her or Mosspaw I haven't lost a single thing in them.

Silverpool broke me from Mosspaw's face. Anger was burning in her eyes. "Go home!" she ordered me harshly. "And don't even think that you won't get any punishment for this!"

Then I turned on her. "I would be more that overjoyed to be away from you two!" I didn't look back as I charged over the creek and into the woods with tears pouring from my face. Why couldn't I have been blessed with happiness like my sister was! Why? Why? Why? My head was screaming at myself inside my head. I bet Silverpool wishes that she would have only had Mosspaw! I mean nothing to her. I don't blame her though. I am the worst daughter anyone could ever have. Why don't I feel any love towards anyone? Why doesn't anyone love me? Soulfire probably only said those nice things because he wanted to get on Foxstar's good side so that he could be a mentor! I hate myself!

"Hey," I had bumped into someone! "What clan are you from, kit? I'm trying not to be noticed, okay?" I looked up to see a dark brown tabby tom standing with his fur spiked in front of me he looked like he was either a young warrior or an older apprentice.

"First of all I'm not a kit," I growled at him sternly. "And second of all why should I tell you what clan I'm in, and you might as well call me by my name, Ivypaw, and I'm in ValleyClan, my mom is the deputy, and she'll rip you to shreds."

He smiled at me. "Calm down kid, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm from ValleyClan also. My name is Rowanpaw, you, might have heard of me. You know Featherpaw I'm sure. Well, I'm her brother."

"Don't call me kid!" I shouted at him and shouted back over my shoulder as I was about to march back to camp. "And I don't want your help getting back to camp!"

I looked at him one more time before I started to move. When I took the first step he jumped on my back without even touching the ground and I was about ten-tail lengths from him, too! "You might not want my help getting back to the camp, but you need it." He whispered in my ear. "I know because you were going in the direction of DreadClan, and I'm sure you don't want to be found there." He loosened his grip on my back and I shoved him off with effort. My body was tired and aching from running, and my mind was tired from having to deal with all of my stubbornness towards my mother and sister. There was no use in fighting with Rowanpaw, too. He was the one trying to help me get home.

My heart lurched with sorrow of what I had said and done in such as short amount of time. "Why in the name of StarClan did I have to be born without any happiness in my heart?" I mewed to myself under my breath to where Rowanpaw couldn't be able to hear me. We began to walk back through the woods away from the path that I had collided into Rowanpaw on. A while had passed before I began to recognize the area around me. The tall white birch tree that hung over the clearing was coming into view. It was unmistakable because of the branches that stood out like spikes on it that was forged like this from a bolt of lightning that had stuck it, but the tree didn't fall. I remember Mousepelt telling me the story when Mosspaw and I were still new-born kits.

"Everyone is born with some happiness in them," Rowanpaw meowed to me unexpectedly. "Has there being a thought troubling you? Or was it something you said, maybe?"

I bent my head over in shame. "I'm jealous of my sister Mosspaw because all of the cats love her. They just look past me as if I weren't there. My mother dosen't even treat me right anymore. I remember being as flighty and carefree as my sister, but I think something happened that changed me." Then I turned on him "I don't know why I'm telling you this stuff! You'll probably hate me too when we get back!" The grass in from of me began to blur and water droplets came down my cheeks.

"Why would I have a reason to hate you?" Rowanpaw turned his head and his paws stooped abruptly making him trip. He caught himself before his head hit the ground. He shook the leaves off of his white chest and stood straight. "I haven't seen you since you were too young even to open your eyes. Silverpool seemed delighted at the birth of her two daughters." Then his gaze softened as he looked onward. "It's been forever since I've seen home!" he tumbled his way down the slope, more like fell. I padded carefully after him. I liked Rowanpaw, he was one of the sorts of cat that you want to be around.

When he finally got done with tumbling down the clearing he rushed into camp. I followed him in and saw him looking at every den to see if anything had changed since he had been gone. Then I remembered that I hadn't had the chance to make my nest yet, so I left Rowanpaw to wondering and went inside the medicine den to look for moss that Brackensnow always had sitting beside the pool. I picked up some in my jaws and headed out towards the apprentices den.

As my eyes reached the sky I saw that the dark blue was beginning to get lighter and the stars of Silverpelt were beginning to fade. When I passed Rowanpaw he seemed to come out of his trance and went to go get some moss of his own.

Inside the apprentices den it was still dark, but not to were you couldn't see. I put my wad of moss close to the entrance in hopes that Mosspaw would try and search for a warmer spot deeper inside the den. I wouldn't get as cold as her; my pelt is thicker than her silky fur.

Paws thundered outside of the den and I heard a shriek of joy. That must be Featherpaw. I guessed. The other cats by the sound of their paws had gathered around him. I could hear Milkytail and Clawpelt's purrs over all of the other purrs that greeted Rowanpaw.

"Welcome back!" Foxstar's voice praised him. "We are glad to have you with us again, Rowanpaw."

I just kept spreading out the moss for my nest. I would get punished soon. Might as well try to do something useful, Ivypaw, try and get some peace. I told myself bitterly. Siloverpool will be in here before you know it, either her or Mosspaw. I turned my back on the light shafting in from the entrance and waited. Outside I could hear paws padding away from Rowanpaw. Two shadows broke the light that came in. I opened my mouth to see if I could taste who it was: Nettlewhisker and Soulfire. Then the whole light was covered by a shadow.

"Ivypaw," it was Foxstar. "Silverpool told me about what you said tonight at the Gathering. I don't approve of what you did. There was no need to be rude to the other apprentices; they were trying to be friendly. I apologized to Jadepaw and Redpaw; they were very friendly and good mannered." He came in and sat down next to me. His tail lightly touched my back. "What provoked you to say the mean words to them?" he asked calmly. "It's okay, I just want to see why something would make you say those things, and it's not like you at all to be so rude."

"Well," I began nervously. "I really don't know what angered me to say that, but I think it was because I was jealous of Mosspaw for getting all of the attention. I don't know why she gets looked upon so fondly."

"I understand how you must feel," Foxstar sighed. "I don't agree with Silverpool for letting this happen to you, she has no right to snap at you. She brought it on herself to have you get mad at her. It was natural for you to do, Ivypaw. Please don't let yourself get discouraged over things like this." He bent his head down and whispered in my ear. "Soulfire is your mentor because I noticed that he never treated Mosspaw in any special way, he actually to more of a liking towards you."

There was a silence until I took the advantage to ask him the question that had been on my mind. "Foxstar," I began. "What made Mosspaw so special, or was it something that happened to me, and that's why I'm looked over? I don't think I remember anything happening to either one of us?"

Foxstar looked up at the roof of the den and then looked at my face. "Ivypaw," he began. "I know that it isn't fair, so please bear with me while I tell you this. I don't like the thought of it myself. Ivypaw, there was a prophecy that Mosspaw would shine like a star in the darkest part of our hearts and put our faith in her, that she would one day when we needed her most that she would fall and come back again shining with all of the light and warmth every cat that ever lived felt, and she would save us while no hope was near." He lowered his head and let out a sigh.

"I understand know," I told him. "Thank you for telling me, I will hold no grudge against my sister, but I will never love her the way I used to. I'll try to show as much love as I used to though, and maybe others will see light in me too, even if Mosspaw may show hope, I can show equal love."

Foxstar licked my head. "I'm glad that you have a strong heart, Ivypaw. What you told me was the wise words of a warrior, and I am glad to have you as my friend." He slowly got up and shook the dust off of his white belly. "You will not receive a punishment. Now try and get some rest, you have earned it." The fox furred warrior padded softly out of the den. I laid my head down one again and shut my eyes. The scents of Featherpaw, Rowanpaw, and Mosspaw filled my nose as they walked in. I didn't greet them but I could feel Mosspaw's eyes flicker off and on at me.

"Tell us what it was like being in DreadClan, Rowanpaw." Mosspaw was begging him. "Well," he began to tell his adventure, but I never heard it. Sleep was already taking me into dreams of being in the nursery with my sister, and playing outside while Sweetbreeze and Silverpool watched me.

Mosspaw is my sister, and I love her no matter what her destiny is.  



	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Ivypaw woke to hear Featherpaw groaning in pain. I lifted my weary head to see what was wrong. It must have woke Rowanpaw up too because he had risen up to see what was wrong with his sister.

He nudged her shoulder gently. "What's wrong, Featherpaw?" he whispered to her trying not to wake up Mosspaw who was still snoring heavily. He blinked as he noticed that the groaning had woken me up also.

"My belly is throbbing." She mumbled slowly. "It hurts really badly. Do you think I should go see Brackensnow? She might not be up yet."

Roawnpaw placed his one of his fore paws on her stomach. "Yeah, you better go and see her. It does feel quite swollen. I'll go with you if you want me to."

Featherpaw hauled up her dark brown body with difficulty. "I'll be fine on my own." She wheezed and got on her paws. Mosspaw let out a big snort that made Featherpaw laugh. She looked back at the sleeping cat and set off for where the medicine cat was.

"There must have been a bug going around at the Gathering." Rowanpaw guessed. "I better go and tell Rabbitfoot that I'm ready for training." He began to pad off to find him. "It was so sad to hear that Toadleap and Birdwind had died "

"Rabbitfoot has moved to the elder's den with Yellowstripe and Duskleaf." I cut him off before he could make his way out to find him. "You might go tell Foxstar that you have no mentor!" I called to him before he hurried off somewhere. A growl sounded from behind me and Mosspaw thundered past me.

"Good morning sunshine!" I called jokingly after her. Mosspaw would have to wait to do her wash that she does every morning before anything else now that we're apprentices she won't have any time. I walked outside to see Mosspaw siting in the center of the clearing taking orders from Nettlewhisker while she began washing herself. Sweetbreeze was near the nursery watching Darkkit chase Foxstar's big bushy tail. The clan leader always visited his son every morning and every night after he came back from patrolling. Darkkit was so cute and small. His little paws couldn't even wrap around his father's tail. When he finally managed to get it Foxstar would fall over on his side and let Darkkit climb on top of him.

"I see you're up early." Soulfire was walking towards me. I noticed that it was beginning to become dawn when I went to sleep and how tired I still was. "I had expected you to sleep later, but I guess we can start training now." He sighed.

"Okay," I meowed. "What are you going to teach me? I always wanted to learn how to hunt." I hinted because when I asked him what the plans were he looked totally lost.

"I'll teach you hunting skills then." He agreed and headed towards the thorn barrier.

I followed obeying his wishes. The memory of Foxstar's words last night about Mosspaw stung her heart for the first time. "I'm really not special, am I?" I sighed to myself.

Outside of the barrier Soulfire pointed out a weathered path that cut in front along the barrier. The path was dusty even though it was new-leaf and it had rain still clinging to the braches and leaves on the trees.

Ahead a clearing appeared through the trees to reveal a sandy area with piles of mud that have grown stiff and hard. "Is this really where we train?" I asked really stupidly.

"Yes," Soulfire snapped. "And you better get used to it because Um, there is a reason."  
"Okay." I puffed. "I already know how to do some of the stuff Silverpool taught me." Now I don't think that being an apprentice was all that fun. Soulfire is new and younger than most mentors. We stopped in the middle of the clearing where no dunes were. Most of the dunes were on the sides of the hollow anyway.

"Now," Soulfire meowed. "Show me what Silvlerpool taught you." He ordered me.

I crouched down into a hunter's crouch. There was a leaf a little ways away. I'll aim for that. I thought quickly. I lifted my tail off of the ground and began to slink towards the leaf, my paws barely making a sound. When I was a few tail lengths away from it I sprang and landed squarely on top of it. I looked up proudly at my mentor with the leaf still stuck in my claws.

"Well done." Soulfire nodded. "I think you've mastered that already. I think that you can start " his voice got cut off by Milkytail's excited mew.

"Rowanpaw and Featherpaw are going to get there warrior names!" She panted franticly. "We don't want to miss it! Come on let's go!"

Soulfire, Milktail, and I raced back on the trail that we had gone down. Ivypaw noticed that it seemed shorter that when she first came down it because they were back in the camp in no time.

Featherpaw and Rowanpaw stood beside Foxstar on the SnowRock. Silverpool was on Foxstar's other side. Clawpelt, Nettlewhisker, and Mosspaw sat under the rock with the elders behind them. Milktail made her way to the front and sat beside Clawpelt. Soulfire and I sat behind the elders. A glimpse of red and white fur caught the corner of my eye as I saw Sweetbreeze coming up to sit next to us with Darkkit.

"Hello," she greeted us and she sat down next to me. She wrapped her tail over Darkkit and looked up at the leader to show that everyone was here.

Foxstar dipped his head to her and started speaking. "I think that it's time we honor two very loyal apprentices. Rowanpaw has proven himself worthy of becoming a full warrior when he endured the long wait to come home after being captured be DreadClan, and his bravery for daring to come back. Featherpaw has proven herself worthy of becoming a full warrior by going on with life even though she had lost her brother and none of us had hope that he would come back she always believed that he would return." His gaze passed over all of us and then it stopped when it reached Rabbitfoot. "I don't think we have any other choice but to make them warriors seeing that Rowanpaw's mentor has moved on to serve as one of the elders of the clan."

"Thank you, Foxstar." Rabbitfoot's hoarse voice croaked up to him.

"Featherpaw," he addressed the dark brown she-cat. "I think Brakensnow and you discovered something this morning that I think will please everyone." He nodded to the medicine cat that was barely visible against the white rock.

"I am glad to announce that after her warrior ceremony Featherpaw will be moving into the nursery with Sweetbreeze." Brackensnow mewed happily to the clan, and Featherpaw you could tell was swelling with pride.

Rowanpaw sat on the SnowRock staring at his sister with his mouth open wide with shock. Featherpaw flicked his jaw with her tail and he shut it. His cheeks were blushing.

Foxstar let the clan cheer for Featherpaw before he started giving their names. "Rowanpaw, you will now be known as Rowanheart. Featherpaw, you will now be known as Featherstep."

"Rowanheart!"

"Featherstep!"

"Rowanheart!"

"Featherstep!"

For the first time I noticed how much Featherstep's belly bulged. It would be any time now that she would kit. Rowanheart made his way down the SnowRock with her to listen to their parents praise them.

"Who is the father?" Duskleaf asked from the line of elders behind the parents of Rowanheart and Featherstep.

"Oh," she exclaimed. "It's Nettlewhisker." She mewed casually as if it was one of those everyday things. When the elders heard that the father was Nettlewhisker they ran to congratulate him.

"Soulfire, why do cats take a mate for? I can't picture in my mind loving like that at such a young age." He looked at me strangely. It almost looked like a sad face.

"I'm afraid to take a mate because of what happened to my sister, and I'm afraid that my mate would think that I was too harsh at times, but there isn't anything I want more in the world than a mate." He bowed his head and looked at his paws. A tear began to roll down his face and I pressed my body closer to his. I felt his body shudder with another sob. Sweetbreeze turned her head to see what wrong.

"What's the matter, Soulfire." She meowed loud enough for Yellowstripe to hear and she looked around at him, too. Mousebelly and Deepwave saw that she wasn't praising the family anymore and turned around to look with her. I glared at all of them and they turned their heads away. Silverpool always said that she I looked as if I was going to kill a cat when I gave them the evil eye. Soulfire pushed me away and he went into the warrriors den. I wasn't allowed to go in there.

"So what is wrong with him?" asked Sweetbreeze more gruffly.

I just stared at her doing or saying nothing. She finally went into the medicine den with Darkkit and came back out with a bundle of moss in her jaws. Darkkit carried a tiny wad in his mouth, too.

"When are your kits going to arrive?" asked Milkytail on her way to the nursery with Featherstep.

"Oh, about three days after tonight." Featherstep replied happily.

"That's great!" exclaimed her mother before they both disappeared into the den that was fortressed by tendrils and leaves with a second layer of brambles to keep enemies away.

Rowanheart was talking to Silverpool, Foxstar, and Clawpelt. Nettlewhisker was surrounded by three elders. Rabbifoot was sitting outside of the elder's den chatting with Duskleaf while he ate a fat chaffinch. I noticed that the fresh-kill pile only had a few pieces of prey left and I'm sure that everyone will want to enjoy a big feast after hearing the great news of Featherstep's kit's arriving soon.

Maybe it would be good to get Soulfire's mind off of his brother. We should go and hunt before we have to go to sleep. Ivypaw padded towards the warriors den and saw Soulfire's bright ginger pelt glowing in the twilight.

"Soulfire," he let out a low grunt. "Do you want to go hunting with me? There isn't much prey on the fresh kill pile and I'm sure everyone will be hungry." He hesitated before getting up. When he saw that I looked disappointed that he was unhappy he smiled at me. I could tell it was a forced on but I didn't push him he seemed sad enough. I followed him back across the little path to the Dunes now it seemed even shorter. When we got to the dunes we kept on going, the whole time Soulfire said nothing. He let me straight back into the forest. Then he stopped and I saw a mouse scuffling over a tree trunk. He edged me forward. I dropped down into the hunter's crouch that I did earlier today. The mouse stopped and I stopped, too. I waited until it went back to sitting and cleaning its paws. When I was a tail length from it I pounced on its back and broke it before it could squeak.

"Well done, Ivypaw! I bet Mosspaw hasn't caught a thing." Soulfire seemed to brighten up a little bit when he saw me make my first catch. I picked my mouse up and held it proudly in my jaws and tried to show him that I was smiling.

"Come on let's hunt some more." He flicked his tail towards a bridge of rocks that led us over a stream with tiny waterfalls flowing over the stone bed. "You'll find water voles over here all the time." Soulfire whispered as we crept along the bank looking for the mouse-like creatures.

"Stop!" he ordered. Two voles were sitting on a rock looking down at the water. We would be able to catch then easily. The bubbling stream would block out the sound of our arrival. I laid my mouse down and we both went for one of the voles. The vole struggled a little under my paws but I bit its neck and it moved no more.

I went back and picked up my mouse and vole by their tails and followed Soulfire back across the bridge.

A squirrel crossed Soulfire's path not noticing the warrior staring at it. Soulfire quickly dropped his vole and charged at it hooking it up in the air and crushing it under his weight. He picked his catch up and we headed back to the camp.

Twilight was showing over the tree tops as we went down the short path to the entrance of the camp. A drop of water splashed on my head from somewhere in the tree branches and leaves above. Silverpool was coming out of the tunnel with Foxstar behind her.

"We were looking for you two all over the camp!" she shouted at me as we came into their view. "You shouldn't leave without telling some warrior!"

"What do you consider my mentor as then? If I were you I would watch my mouth, mom." I scolded her. Her eyes pierced my pelt as Soulfire and I went into the camp. He gave her a good growl and went on after me. I dropped my mouse on the fresh-kill pile and took my vole over to Deepwave who was basking in the sun with Yellowstripe while she ate her blackbird. Mousebelly was snoring in the shade of the butterfly bush that had blossoms budding all over it.

"Do you want my vole?" I asked Deepwave and she opened one of her dark blue eyes.

"Yes, I appreciate it. This has been your first day out hunting is it?" she asked as she picked up the vole. "Water vole has always been my favorite, you know." She meowed through a mouthful of meat. "Go and get you something and come eat with me, I don't mind you, you're the quiet kind of apprentices that I like. Your sister is a little bit of an entertainer, and always the center of attention."

I left Deepwave and picked up my mouse from the fresh-kill pile and went back to sit next to her. Yellowstripe and Mousebelly had joined her since I left her in such a short amount of time.

"That's very rare for a new apprentice to catch that much prey on their first time out in that small amount of time." Yellowstripe praised. For the first time I noticed how many scars the pale ginger she-cat had. It made me flinch when I observed the long line stretching down her side. "They look nasty don't they." She sighed at me. "I hope that DreadClan will get some sense in their heads before you young cats have to go what we've gone through. Birdwind was my and Duskleaf's kit along with Nettlewhisker. I hope you never know what it's like to lose your young, Ivypaw, but if these kinds of things happen it will only make you stronger."

Her sad words made me stop chewing my mouse and look up stiffly. I swallowed the rest whole with a big gulp and looked up to see her hiding her face behind her back. I looked back down at my mouse and pushed it towards her. Yellowstripe snuffled and took the mouse.

The stars had returned to the sky and the light blue was turning darker. I headed towards the apprentices den. My bones ached from the walking and were partly sore from the long run back from the Gathering. Mosspaw was the only one in the den with me now. Rowanheart and Featherstep were sitting vigil in the center of the clearing. I could already see the rise and fall of Mosspaw's flanks in the back of the den. I snuggled down in the bottom of my nest draping a blanket of moss over my body and I laid my tail over my nose to keep it warm. The nights were still chilly even though it was beginning to become new-leaf.

Yellowstripe's words rang in my head, but one quote kept coming back to me. 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.' I'll have to remember that one.

Ivypaw shut her eyes and sighed. Her muscles relaxed and she was fast asleep in no time.

The next two days Ivypaw had stayed in camp with a non-contagious cough. The days were no longer warm, but cold and icy. Snow was falling outside constantly. All of yesterday had been a white-out. She had been sentenced to the medicine den by Brackensnow.

"Brackensnow," I began to get bored of being stuck inside listening to the snow billowing outside. "Didn't you just say the other day that today would be the day of Featherstep's kitting?" I looked back over my shoulder at the brown and white patched tabby she-cat.

She gasped seeming as if she were shocked. Surely Brackensnoew wouldn't be able to forget a kitting this soon. "Oh, StarClan, Ivypaw, why didn't you remind me sooner!" she ran into the store and came back out with a bundle of herbs in her jaws. "Come with me." She murmured through a mouthful of leaves. I followed her out into the howling blizzard raging outside. The chips of ice stung my eyes. I wasn't cold thanks to my thick fur. We were already at the nursery; the trip to there and back really that far of a distance.

Inside, Featherstep was curled up in a nest mostly made of feathers. The other queen, Sweetbreeze had a nest just like hers. Darkkit was fluffed up asleep in the nest while Sweetbreeze sat beside Featherstep's nest. The wind picked up outside sending snow flying around outside of the den. Featherstep opened her eyes and watched Brackensnow lay down the herbs.

"I thought I might rest before I kitted." She meowed wearily. "Do you think they'll be coming soon?"

Brackensnow sighed and lay down. "Only StarClan knows when they'll come, but I think that I judged right." She began to lick her paw and groom herself.

Featherstep's face screwed up in pain. "I think you prediction was accurate all right." She heaved.

Sweetbreeze's gaze clouded with worry. "Her stomach, I've noticed, is the most swollen I think that I've ever seen, Brackensnow. How many do you think she is carrying?"

The medicine cat looked up at the ceiling. "At least three, at the most six." She went back to licking herself thoroughly. "That's why I brought you, Ivypaw, so if we need extra help you'll be here. I know that at your age you would think that things like this are nasty at the time, but good always comes out of it. We need more warriors if we are to survive DreadClan."

I looked at my paws confused. Why couldn't she have picked one of the she-cat elders? Or Silverpool would have worked? I'm just an apprentice. Why would she put the life of Featherstep in the hands of an apprentice no older than a kit itself?

Beside me a light gray tabby figure stepped in. "Is everything okay, Featherstep my love?" It was Nettlewhisker. You could barely tell it was him for all of the snow and ice clinging to his pelt. "Are you feeling strange? Do you need something? I "

"Oh, Neetlewhisker, stop it!" She snapped playfully. "I am not the first queen that's kitted. You're more worried than I am and you're not the on giving birth!" She shuddered again bigger this time than last.

"I think they're coming, Featherstep." Brackensnow meowed padding up and rubbing her stomach. "Yes, they are definitely coming. Nettlewhisker, will you please go and get Silverpool for me? I might need her."

The gray tom nodded his head and disappeared back into the howling blizzard. Featherstep had another huge shudder. "Come on," the medicine cat encouraged her. "You have about got the first one out." Featherstep winced and she had a spasm. A light brown tabby tom with brown flecks plopped out on the ground. Sweetbreeze nudged it towards its mother's belly. Another black she-kit came out soon after it. Sweetbreeze nudged it up to the other one.

Silverpool came through the entrance with sleep in her eyes. Nettlewhisker pushed her out of his way and he stood behind his mate and licked her ears.

"What are their names?" he asked her excitedly.

Featherstep looked down at the two little bundles and replied. "The light brown tom is Ryekit and the black she-kit is Pumakit."

Brackensnow rubbed Featherstep's belly again. "You aren't done yet. I bet there are three more." She whispered. Bracckensnow pushed on her belly and another light gray tabby tom, looking just like Nettlewhisker came out.

Featherstep looked up at her mate. "He looks so much like you; I think that you should be the one to name him." The tiny light gray tabby tom looked up at his father with big green eyes and he mewed softly.

Nettlewhisker tapped the little one's head lightly. "I think he's awful eager to see the world outside, this one is. Speaking of the weather outside, why don't we name him Billowkit?" he looked at his mate warmly.

She looked back up at him. "I think that is a wonderful name, Nettlewhisker " she stopped as yet two more kits plopped out. She dropped her head down in exhaustion. A white she-kit shuddered as she let out a big sneeze. The other was a ginger she-kit that almost looked red.

Nettlewhisker looked at Featherstep panicked. "Featherstep," he shrieked. "Are you alright?" After a while of almost hyperventilating; Nettlewhiker passed out of shock. His mate opened one of her eyes and looked up at the father of her kits that had just passed out on top of her.

"Brackensnow," she murmured almost inaudible. "Will you name the other two kits? I want to take a nap." Brackensnow didn't look worried at all about her being so tired.

The medicine cat rubbed her tail over the heads of Featherstep's two unnamed kits. "The white she-kit should be Feeverkit, because of her sneeze." Then she looked at me. "Would you like to name the other one, Ivypaw?" I looked up at Silverpool who was about asleep on her paws. Then I looked down at the little red she-kit. Silverpool wouldn't care if I had just fallen off of a cliff and came back.

"Let's name the red one Blazekit." I meowed and touched my nose on the kit's head. Blazekit looked up at me with big blue eyes and licked my forehead. "Hi." I mewed to her. She probably wouldn't know what I just said, but I said what I wanted to anyway. "My name is Ivypaw." She cocked her head to one side.

Blazekit opened her mouth and tried to say something. "I ivy paw." She looked up at me again. "Ivypaw,"

"That's right," I mewed. "I'm Ivypaw."

She started bouncing up and down in place. "Ivypaw, Ivypaw, Ivypaw!" Her mother opened her eyes and looked all of her kits. Billowkit was trying to climb on her and look at his father that had passed out. Featherstep grabbed his scruff and hauled him back down and licked his head vigorously. Brackensnow nosed my Blazekti back to sit next to her brothers and sisters. She was now saying Ivypaw nonstop.

Foxstar and the rest of the clan had somehow made their way into the already crowded nursery. I pushed my way in-between Yellowstripe and Milkytail and ran into Duskleaf. He stepped aside and I made my way to the entrance. Outside the blizzard had subsided and you could see the pale dawn light through the large snowflakes that were still falling. I headed back to the medicine den. I felt light headed and dizzy. My muscles were stiff from the cold. My nose was runny and I needed some rest. Then I heard my stomach rumble, so I went to go dig up the prey that we always buried when it was snowing like this. There was only a shrew to eat, well there was a sparrow but I didn't feel like plucking feathers at the time. I bent down and picked up my shrew and turned around to see something much unexpected. A gray she-cat was standing in the middle of the clearing with a tiny white flower behind her ear. I dropped my shrew and went up to her. She was transparent with stars in her fur.

"I am Willowdream," she meowed to me. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I have come to reassure you that you have a very special place in someone's heart, Ivypaw. There is a prophecy that I would like to share with you that StarClan has been pondering on for years, but I think we have finally figured out that it is you. The prophecy is, 'Love, like most great things arrive in from a blaze. This love is stronger than the strongest warrior, nobler than the dying leader, and more loyal than the oldest elder.' You are the one Ivypaw. You were the arrival of the blaze. Be strong, be noble, be loyal, and most of all is brave for the ones you love." The StarClan she-cat was beginning to fade from view as she kept backing up the snow made her barely visible until the only thing you could see were her lavender color eyes blinking away. Then Willowdream was gone.

"Ivypaw!" the voice of Foxstar snapped me back to the future. The blizzard had started up again. "What on earth are you doing out here, you'll catch white-cough!"

I ran up to him with shining eyes. He looked utterly confused. "Foxstar, I met a cat from StarClan!" I meowed to him. "Come on, let's get out of this blizzard and I'll tell you." He dipped his head and we went into his den. He went farther in his cave and lay down in his nest that was mostly made of feathers.

"So," he purred. "Tell me about the StarClan cat." He began licking his cold paws that were probably numb."

"Well," I began to tell the beginning which made me think of my shrew that I dropped. "Oh, wait a second!" I ran out and got it and came back to him. "I forgot my shrew I dropped when she came. Her name is Willowdream. She said to me that there was a prophecy from StarClan that they have spent years trying to figure out, but I'm the one. The prophecy goes like this; 'Love, like most great things arrive in from a blaze. This love is stronger that the strongest warriors, nobler than the dying leader, more loyal than the oldest elder.' Then she told me this; 'You are the one Ivypaw. You are the arrival of the blaze. Be strong, be noble, be loyal, and most of all is to be brave for the ones you love.'"

Foxstar's gaze flickered off me to the entrance. Silverpool came in with a worried look on her face. She looked at me as if I were one of the rouges that they told in stories. "She is a liar Foxstar! She is making this up because she is jealous of Mosspaw! Do you really believe the word of this apprentice?"

He snarled at her. "And you want me to believe in Mosspaw? I think not. Why would she make up something like this even though she would know it wouldn't be true? Besides you heard her say Willowdream's name. No one has told her about my sister's death, and how could she possibly come up with that? Be a mother to Ivypaw, just for once. I would expect you of all people to be the one to know how it feels to be mistreated the most! You're repeating what your parents did all over again, Silverpool. Think about your actions! Until then I will have a new deputy. Maybe that will make you think straighter." My mother spat at him and marched away huffing. My tail and head drooped, one of my ear tips folded downwards. Foxstar lifted up my head with his paw. "Remember, this isn't your fault, Ivypaw. Silverpool deserves a punishment for what she's done, not you. It seems now that you might have a better destiny, to love with all of your heart. I know you love your mother even though the thing she says to you and about you is cruel."

"I'm not a special as Mosspaw will ever be; every cat is born with love in their heart at some point. That isn't a very good destiny, and everyone loves their mom no matter what she may do." I sighed and walked back out into the snow. The icy flecks stung my eyes as I headed back towards the medicine den. I could barely see Silverpool telling Milktail mean names that she described Foxstar as and about what he sentenced her to. Brackensnow was coming out of the den with half of her herbs left. She shot a glare at my mother when she must have caught some of her discussion. I leaped up to the young medicine cat and we walked back into the medicine den together. Sheets of ice were clinging to my pelt. My thick fur blocked out its cold chill, but it still felt heavy.

I let out a hoarse cough. My nose began to run again. Brackensnow looked at me and went to go store the rest of the herbs that weren't used. I got some extra moss that she kept in a crack behind her nest and draped it over me like she ordered me to do every night.

She came back out with a leaf and dropped it at my paws. "Eat this," she mewed softly. "It's just water mint. Has no taste to it." Brackensnow watched me chew it and swallow the leaf before going to her own nest.

Warrior's paws were shuffling outside. Some would be going out on dawn-patrol, hunting, but most would be heading back to their nests to get some more sleep. I need to go to sleep too. I thought miserably.

The sheets of ice were finally beginning to melt by the time she was asleep. Ivypaw's dreams were filled with love and laughter as she played around the nursery with the kit that she thinks will form her destiny. Blazekit, when her adventure really begins.

"Ivypaw," a paw nudged my side. "Wake up Ivypaw and look at who's here." I opened my eyes and saw Brackensnow pacing around excitedly. When she saw me wake up she lunged and grabbed me up. "Come on! DreadClan has come and they are asking us for help! They need two more medicine cats to help them and they want us. Their old medicine cat died suddenly and he had no apprentice. I thought that you've watched me enough to some and help. They also want me to train one of their apprentices to become a medicine cat. Until one of their kits gets the passion to become a medicine cat you and I will serve them. Don't worry about warrior training Soulfire has agreed to let me train you as a warrior as well as let you learn some tips that medicine cats know." She led me out to see the warriors that had come from DreadClan. Brackensnow dipped her head respectful to them. I just yawned. I know that the fur on top of my head was probably spiked like it usually was because of my thick pelt.

"Ivypaw," I turned around to see who had let out the high pitched squeak. It was Blazekit. "No go!" she raced up and planed her nose in my black and white fur. "I want to go with you."

Oh, why? I thought sadly. "Go ask your mother." I sighed. She charged off to go tell Featherstep that she wanted to go with me inside of DreadClan camp where anything could happen! The queen came out with worry in her eyes.

"Take care of her!" she shouted at me from the nursery entrance. Ryekit looked out from underneath his mother's chest. She shoved his head back with her paw.

"I'll protect her with my life " I began to reply back to Featherstep but my sassy sister cut me off.

"Yah right, Ivypaw; you don't even know how to blow someone across the nose!" Mosspaw rolled over laughing.

My pelt burned and the fur on the back of my neck stood on end. "You want to bet that I can't slash someone over the nose? If you're so confident why don't you come over here and let me show you what I can do? I swear to StarClan, Mosspaw that if you tried to throw a rock at the ground you would miss." I looked at my sister's face she looked angry, and then shocked, then she grinned.

"Silverpool," she wailed. "Ivypaw threatened me!"

I bent over to whisper into Brackensnow's ear. "Please can we leave before I have to put up with them!" she nodded vigorously and gave the warrior at the head of the patrol the look of. If you don't leave now who knows when we'll leave. He gave me a sympathetic glance and flicked his tail. His warriors followed him. Brackensnow led me and Blazekit up to the front of the patrol.

"What's your name?" I asked him. He gave me an awkward look. "Sorry, if that sounded a bit weird, but I'm trying to learn about everyone."

"That's okay." He meowed. "I know how eager I was to learn when I was your age. My name is Rattlefang, I'm the deputy. The tortoiseshell tom that isn't paying attention to what he's doing is my son, Dappledfoot." This Rattletail and his son must not have a very good relationship. "The white she-cat beside him is his sister Snowystep." She seemed friendlier than her brother seemed.

"Oh, Rattletail," Brackensnow realized that she had forgotten to say something. "Are there any queens who would be willing to feed her until she can eat prey?"

He looked excited. "Yes, my first apprentice is going to give birth! I hope that I trained her well."

We came up to the edge of our scent markers and into DreadClan territory with lots of cedar trees. I always did have liking for the smell of cedar. I smelled it on the cats that had come from walking along this side of the border.

Plunk!

Ivypaw had tripped over a root. She got up and brushed herself off. Blazekit, who was still small, was struggling to climb over. She picked the small she-kit up in her jaws. Blazekit stopped flailing and let Ivypaw carry her.

Paws were thundering towards the patrol. The ferns and bushes quivered and a tortoiseshell she-cat who looked like she was Ivypaw's age rushed towards the deputy.

"Rattletail," she heaved. "DreadClan is being attacked by MarshClan again. They are at Current Falls." The deputy looked back at his warriors.

"Honeypaw, lead those three back to camp." He ordered the tortoiseshell she-cat. "The rest come with me." He charged off through the ferns in the direction where Honeypaw had come from.

The she-cat flicked her tail. "Follow me," Honeypaw ran farther along the path we were on. Brackensnow grabbed Blazekit from me and we ran after her. "The camp isn't far from here." She called back to us.

Just up ahead was the camp walls that were tangled with brambles like ours was, except they put birch bark on the outside and you could see cedar's fuzzy looking bark sticking out of the gaps.

Honeypaw waited at the entrance and let us go in first. Brackensnow led us through the good-smelling tunnel and out into their clearing. The medicine cat immediately headed for where a queen was staring horrified at the sounds of the battle that kept getting louder and louder. She said something and dropped the kit she was carrying to her. The she- cat nodded and Brackensnow headed back to me.

"Get ready for the next sneak patrol!" a gray tom ordered Rosepaw to stand in the row at the side of the clearing. "Now everyone remember that when you see Snowpaw or Rainpaw that means that they need they us to come help."

"Yes, Berryheart." A handsome ginger tabby tom answered him. "What if either Snowpaw or Rainpaw fails to come? Will we go anyway?"

Berryheart looked at the ginger tabby. "I think we'll go anyway." He bounded off towards the entrance his patrol followed him.

A dark ginger she-cat poked her head out of the nursery. "Now take care of each other, Rosepaw, Dustpaw. Make your mother proud." The ginger tabby tom and Rosepaw swung their heads around.

"Don't worry, Burningcloud. I will make sure that they return safely." Berryheart reassured the queen, but then a black tom ran into him and pushed him over, a white she-cat followed him with blood pouring from a gash in her neck.

The queen, who had looked horrified before, pushed a kit that was peering out back in the nursery with her, afraid that it would see the injured cat.

"Ivypaw," Brackensnow snapped me back to life. "Press down hard on her neck; it will stop the bleeding while I go get some cobwebs."

I ran up to the white she-cat. She was on her side now and the black tom was with her. Berryheart's patrol had left. I quickly pushed my paws hard against where blood was spraying out from her neck like Brackensnow told me to do. The she-cat's eyes were beginning to glaze over.

"I'll tell your mom that I saw you," she spluttered. "You look just like her, you see Silverpool is her sister, and your mentor is her brother. She is Willowdream, Ivypaw. You were the last thing she saw before dying, when you were first born. I tried to get ValleyClan to keep you as my own, but they gave you to Silverpool, but I was the one who was with Willowdream when she died " her head fell back and her eyes darkened.

"Lakecloud?" the black tom beside me stammered. "Don't go I love you too much. We were going to grow old together and have kits together, and go on our adventures."

A tail brushed my spine. I looked up to see Brackensnow staring at me with sympathy of a life time or more in them. A tear rolled down my cheek and she brushed it away.

"She is right, Ivypaw." She mewed to me. "Silverpool doesn't love you because she's not your mother. Soulfire would have given anything to mentor his niece. Willowdream is your real mother, and now Lakecloud walks with her."  



	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Ivypaw woke the next morning with a start. She had bad dreams all night of her mother's friend, Lakecloud. It had been a long rest of the day for her when the patrols came back after the fight. Nightpaw, as they call her, had to come and stay in the medicine den for the rest of the evening and she fell asleep before she could go back, so we let her sleep here.

The air smelled like dew and cedar. It would be easy to live here; there was hardly a single thing wrong with the atmosphere of the cats, except for a grouchy few that always seemed to be in a bad mood anyway. Then she remembered that Brackensnow had ordered Berryheart to come and get his wound re-dressed before he went out on the dawn patrol, but it seemed too early for the dawn patrol to be setting out. I could go and get it prepared anyway, I have nothing to do so might as well make myself useful.

Ivypaw slipped out of her nest and stretched. She went to the store that seemed almost identical to the one back at home, only the lingering scent of the dead medicine cat lingered. The light of dawn streamed through a gap in the cedar bark. She found the poultice that Brackensnow had made for him last night and sat it out of the rock where the medicine cat kept his herbs that were set aside for special treatment.

The white and brown tabby medicine cat was beginning to rise from her nest. "I see that you're up earlier than usual." She yawned and trotted over. "And have already prepared for our first patient." She looked at the rock. "I might have you do some battle training with me later, if we get all of our cats looked at." She flicked her tail over to Rainpaw. "Why don't you try and make friends with her. It'll be good for you to get to know these cats. Rainpaw seemed like a pretty nice young lady when I talked to her. Rosepaw seemed easy to cope with, too. And I did notice you looking at her brother; I have to admit that you do have good taste in your liking." She nudged me jokingly. "What was his name again? I know I heard his mother calling him."

"I think she called him Dustpaw." I mewed. "He does seem pretty cute, but I can't think like that if I'm going to be a medicine cat, right?"

Brackensnow looked at her paws. "StarClan has allowed some medicine cats to be in love. Not all medicine cats take a mate. The other medicine cats might think that the old belief that nothing should put you in-between serving your clan and their connection with them. Our warrior ancestors are gracious, and they think that you can love everyone differently and for different purposes, that the old rule was to heart-breaking and that by putting the medicine cats in longing and grief that it would make them farther from StarClan, so that is why they changed it."

Brackensnow knew a lot about StarClan and the medicine cat code, of course she was a medicine cat so she would have to know. "Brackensnow," Ivypaw began yawning. "Can you tell me more about StarClan and the medicine cats?"

She looked at me as if my question was hard to answer. "Ivypaw, are you sure that you want to be a medicine cat? You know that I would enjoy having you as my apprentice, but Soulfire would want to train you, too."

"Well," she meowed. "I think that I know where I stand now that I've known the truth about my mother, and piece by piece I'll figure out the whole story, but for now I want to learn about medicine cats. I'm sure even if I do choose to become a warrior it couldn't hurt to know about the role a medicine cat plays in the clan."

Berryheart came through the entrance with the cob web from last night still on his shoulder. "I've come for my herbs." He sighed.

"Here, let me put some fresh herbs on there." Brackensnow un-wrapped the cob web off of his shoulder and checked the wound. Flesh was separating his fur apart, but Berryheart had kept it clean last night. The medicine cat turned around and picked up the herbs and held them on with one paw while she wrapped the web back around.

"Am I good to go?" Berryheart chuckled half-heartedly.

Brackensnow sighed. "I guess, you great fur-ball. But remember tonight to not sleep on that side. I don't want it to get infected before the skin has time to grow back."

He headed to the entrance and turned his head. "Good luck finding a kit who wants to be a medicine cat, Brackensnow." Berryheart called and then went out the entrance.

The medicine cat went off into the herb store and laid out some leaves. Then she began to question me. "Which leaf is this and what do we use it for?" she poked her claw at the first bundle.

"That is water mint and it is used as a substitute for catmint if you run out, it is good for stopping white-cough before it turns into green-cough."

"The second one is and used for what?"

"Catmint is for treating white-cough and green-cough that is found near two leg nests and abandoned two leg dens."

The she pointed to a root. "Burdock root is for rat bites."

Brackensnow pushed them behind the rock. "I see that you catch on quickly. Now let's go see if any of the kits can catch on as quickly as you can." She went back in the store and got a web and poppy seed.

We headed out into the bright sunshine. The snow had melted overnight. The two queens were sitting outside of the nursery. One of them I hadn't seen last night; she was a light cream colored she-cat. Blazekit was watching as two older kits were play fighting with each other. There was a white and tabby she-kit with a brown chest sitting next to her. She looked as old as the other two, but she wasn't as big as them. She might be the perfect one.

"Hello, Brackensnow." Burningcloud addressed the medicine cat. "Long time no see! Have you met Lilypool?"

The light cream she-cat lifted her head and smiled. "Hi. I'm Lilypool. My kits are Leopardkit, Whitekit, and Morningkit." The two toms stopped play fighting and looked at me. The she-kit smiled.

"She looks like she might be interested in training." I whispered in the medicine cat's ear. "I don't think they are far from being apprenticed either."

"Hey, ValleyDung, what's with your fur? Did you fall in some elder dirt?" a white tom was laughing at me. I turned my head away from him. My face was turning red.

Rosepaw walked by and cuffed him over the head. "Watch it, Snowpaw. Think how you would feel like if you had to spend the rest of your life stuck with her clan. Would think that it would be fun?"

"So, what is this one?" Brackensnow was asking the kits. "I'll give you a hint, this one is used to stop wounds from bleeding."

"Cob webs." The she-kit answered. "The other one is poppy seed, and I know that catmint is used to cure the early stage of green-cough, white-cough, and it cures green-cough, too. If you have white-cough it would be wise to use water mint first, that's just a little bit weaker than catmint."

"Wow!" Brackensnow exclaimed. "Do you like what medicine cats do? It seems that you've paid very good attention to the old medicine cat's works."

"Oh, I would love to be a medicine cat, but you already have an apprentice, don't you? Isn't it her?" she flicked her tail over to me.

"That's not my apprentice, she just came with me to train a little bit, she's sick." The medicine cat explained no less enthusiastic. "Would you like to follow your dream of becoming a medicine cat?"

The she-kit looked at her mother. "Can I, Lilypool? I really want to be a medicine cat! Think of how much I could do for my clan."

Lilypool sighed. "I never said I wouldn't let you." She licked her paw and rubbed her daughter's ear.

"You don't know what you're getting into, Morningkit. Do you really want to be trained by those mouse-brains?" Snowpaw jeered at us. "I don't see why we can't go and attack ValleyClan while their precious medicine cat is away."

"That's enough, Snowpaw. I am ashamed of you." A gray she-cat scolded him. "No training for today, go and check the elders for ticks. Come on, Rosepaw. Let's go hunting."

Snowpaw shot me an angry glance and mouthed something to me. I don't want to find out what he said. "Sorry, Grayblossom I won't do it again." The he turned and stalked off.

"Don't dwell on it." Brambleberry lifted my chin. "Some cats are only just out there to make other's feel worse. Only you can make those words mean what you want."

It made me feel a little edgy anyway. I'll just forget it by tomorrow. He's just one of those stupid cats that you can't do anything about.

"Can we go training now?" I asked her. "You promised we would as soon as we get done with all of our chores."

Brackensnow huffed jokingly. "Really; you really want to go training with me?" her eyes teased me.

"Yes, silly!" I jumped up. "I want to be the best fighting, hunting, sort of kind of medicine cat that there ever was!"

"Okay, okay," she laughed. "Let's go and train." She padded away from the nursery with Ivypaw at her side. Rattletail was lying on their SnowRock with the leader, Fallenstar."

Fallenstar raised his head when he noticed us approaching. "Can I help you?" he asked. "Anything you need?"

"Uh, oh, no I was just wandering where you trained your apprentices at." She meowed. "Ivypaw wanted to try and learn some battle moves. I think she might be fit to train now. Her cold as seemed to begin to fade a little, she isn't coughing as much."

Rattletail lifted his head to. Then he peered past us. "Larkfall, will you show the new comers to the training hole?"

Ivypaw looked over her shoulder and stared at the light gray tabby tom that was passing behind us. "Uh, okay, Rattletail." He flicked his tail. "Follow me."

Brackensnow and I followed him out a different hole in the barrier; this path was behind the apprentice's den. We went down a short path that led to a small but cozy training area.

"This is where we train our apprentices at." Larkfall turned around and looked at us. "Don't talk to me or anyone else in this clan, we only have to have you. You better start considering yourselves as prisoners, ValleyDung."

We watched him thunder off, snorting at us behind his back. Brackensnow and I looked at each other with wary glances.

"More of a reason to start battle training." She meowed sternly. "It must seem as though everyone is out to come and get us, but don't let what other cats say to you shape your life."

There were two apprentices training in the clearing. One was Dustpaw and the other was a gray she-cat. They were practicing battle moves. My heart lurched when I saw their mentor's glaring at us.

"Let's j-just practice here, I don't think they look s-so glad to see us." Ivypaw stammered to the medicine cat. "They don't know who they're messing with when they mess with. We are their only chance of survival, so if we decide to go all we'll kill you if you don't do what we want, we can be the destruction of the clan!"

Brackensnow looked at me as if I had already started to poison cats. "No! I will not kill out a clan!" 


End file.
